We have invited two indigenous Mexican artisans, one is Nahuatl who lives on the volcano side of Orizaba and the other is Mazahua from Estado de Mexico (State of Mexico) to come to our hotel for a needlework demonstration and sale. Their work is among the finest of this type in the region.

Fine cross-stitch needlework, called punto de cruz, examples of Mazahua work

On September 16, 1810, Mexico declared her Independence from Spain. Hidalgo, a priest from Dolores Hidalgo, Guanajuato, gave out El Grito, the cry for freedom and the war began. The Spanish conquest of Mexico began in 1521, and after almost 300 years of occupation, the country followed the United States independence model to set itself free from European rule.

The celebration began last night with the president of every state, municipality and village letting out the battle cry. Here in Teotitlan del Valle, the call for freedom was accompanied by the bands from the elementary, middle and high school — Bandas de la Guerra — drumming and tooting well into the night. The cohetes, firecracker missiles, rang through the air. And, it started again this morning with a desfile (parade) through the streets.

Follow-up your visit to the ExpoVENTA of Mexican Textiles and Jewelry Show and Sale with this opening exhibition of photographs from the Toledo Collection to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Centro Fotografico Manuel Alvarez Bravo. Hope to see you there!

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Norma Schafer and Oaxaca Cultural Navigator LLC has offered programs in Mexico since 2006. We have over 30 years of university program development experience. See my resume.

Study Tours + Study Abroad are personally curated and introduce you to Mexico's greatest artisans. They are off-the-beaten path, internationally recognized. We give you access to where people live and work. Yes, it is safe and secure to travel. Groups are limited in size for the most personal experience.

Programs can be scheduled to meet your travel plans. Send us your available dates.

Designers, retailers, wholesalers, universities and other organizations come to us to develop customized itineraries, study abroad programs, meetings and conferences. It's our pleasure to make arrangements.

Our Clients Include
*Penland School of Crafts
*North Carolina State University
*WARP Weave a Real Peace
*Methodist University